A call for haiku is now underway for the Syracuse Poster Project’s 17th annual series of haiku posters! In fact, you’re invited! Please consider participating in this community-wide event by submitting up to three (3) of your best haiku which reflect our fair city’s multi-cultural heart, the Central New York countryside or Syracuse at large!

In addition, we have commissioned Syracuse artist, Nicora Gangi, to create a poster giving you the unique opportunity–in essence, an Ekphrastic challenge–to write at least one (1) haiku inspired by her wonderful image! That image being, fittingly enough, of our city as a place of welcome to all people and cultures. Ms. Gangi will select the winning haiku. To read a review of her superb work, click here.

Each haiku you submit before Friday, September 8 will be presented to a senior class of Syracuse University illustration students. Ultimately, your haiku may be chosen to be illustrated by one of these students! Of all the posters created, 15 of the best haiku posters will be selected for display in downtown Syracuse kiosks next April, 2018.

Need inspiration? Not sure how to capture a moment? Consider how these frequent contributors approach writing haiku–

Remember, any season, any place, any subject–write about your experiences in a haiku using three lines of 5, 7, 5 syllables, and submit your poems by September 8, 2017. For further details, click here for this year’s brochure. For additional entry materials, click here. If you’re new to writing haiku, click here for general guidelines. Find more good haiku by local poets in this poetry blog.

Whether or not you care much about the weather, it is one of the major topics of conversation anywhere, anytime, anyhow, no matter the day or the time of year. It pretty much affects everything around us and everything we do. We, at Syracuse Poster Project, would rightfully guess that we receive more haiku written about weather–like the fine poem above–than about any other subject!

Changes in the weather often signal a change in the season, too. For instance, in Central New York today, while the calendar may say Spring, the weather these past few weeks has been mostly cold, dismally grey and, well…cold. In fact, on St. Patrick’s Day–usually a fine day to celebrate the imminent arrival of Spring–there were snowbanks here that were as high as an elephant’s eye! The tulips and daffodils that had started to peek out from the cold March ground were quickly sent packing.

Moving from March to April isn’t always easy or fast. Thank goodness for Haiku to put this change of season into perspective! Take, for example, this poignantly expressive haiku from frequent Syracuse Poster Project contributor, Jay Cox (Pompey, 2001):

Or, consider the perspective found in this uplifting haiku from Anton Ninno (Syracuse, 2008):

Last snow of the year crashes down, heavy and wet young buds shake it off

From Craig Overbeck, (Fayetteville, 2015), a stirring haiku with an artistic glimpse of what awaits us this Spring:

To the south, rain falls. Gray brushstrokes sweep from dark clouds To paint the hills green.

We think you’ll agree, this warm and delightful haiku by Rachel Guido deVries (Cazenovia, 2001) enriches any conversation about the weather or change of season. Her words create a feeling beautifully captured in this poster from our 2015 Series by former Syracuse University Illustration student, Lise Sukhu. To see more of Lise’s artwork, click here.

Over the past several months we’ve highlighted many fine haiku written by our contributors about the weather and the change of seasons in Central New York. Our accompanying featured posters beautifully underscore and accentuate the fine work we receive. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading these poems as well as the few highlighted here today.

And, remember, as we move from snow to rain this season, keep this cheerful haiku, written by Michelle Miles (Amman, Jordan 2016), in mind:

March into April, Shed the outer cloak, breathe and Take the umbrella….